Oak Room Bar

The Plaza Hotel's Oak Bar Wins Luxist's Editors' Choice Award (with Video)

The Plaza Hotel's Oak Bar wins the Luxist Awards Editor's choice award for best bar.

One evening at the Oak Bar in New York's Plaza Hotel, a patron noticed a diamond ring on the floor and alerted the manager. Remembering that a customer seated in the area had just departed, the manager called the room number on the bill. Within minutes the guest was downstairs to collect her ring-and promptly ordered a bottle of Dom Perignon for the manager as a token of thanks. "You don't understand," she said. "That ring is worth over $1 million."

Such is the aura of the Oak Bar, Luxist's Editors' Choice award winner for best in entertainment. Nestled in the northwest corner of the Plaza Hotel, the bar has been serving well-heeled guests-with a few extended breaks for prohibition and various renovations-for over a century.

Walk into the ancient room today and you'll find rich wood paneling surrounding sumptuous banquettes, vast murals of Central Park mirroring the actual park that sits on the other side of enormous picture windows, and on any given night a clientele whose collective wealth is likely enough to buy a medium-sized country.

Gallery: The Oak Room At The Plaza Hotel, New York

The Oak Bar in the Oak Room at The Plaza Hotel, New York

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The Oak Bar at the Plaza Hotel: Historic and Classic

by Carrie Coolidge (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Dining, Spirits

Oak Bar at the Plaza Hotel is nominated for a Luxist Award for Best Hotel Bar.

The Oak Bar in The Oak Room, a New York landmark and iconic meeting spot is nominated for a Luxist Award for Best Hotel bar.

Located on the first floor of New York's fabled landmark, The Plaza Hotel, The Oak Bar is one of the most romantic meeting spots in Manhattan. The Oak Bar serves as an informal gathering place for New York's luminaries, with distinctive cocktails and a separate bar menu along with the classic view of Central Park South from its windows.

Bringing old-world glamour to the 21st century, The Oak Room was originally designed by Henry Hardenbergh in 1907 as a bar for men only. It closed during Prohibition and re-opened in 1934 as a full service restaurant. The Oak Room is known for its detailed wood-paneled walls and barrel-vaulted ceiling. The three carved niches feature beautiful murals of German feudal castles with one mural featuring the former Cornelius Vanderbilt II mansion, which is now the location of luxury goods department store, Bergdorf Goodman.

Gallery: The Oak Room At The Plaza Hotel, New York

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Classic Cocktails Make a Comeback (with video)

by Carrie Coolidge (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Spirits

At the newly renovated Plaza Hotel, which recently underwent a $450 million renovation, Luxist visited the famous Oak Room Bar where we discussed the comeback of classic cocktails with Head Bartender Orlando Rivera.

"It is almost like jazz music," says Rivera. "Classic cocktails never die.

Orlando Rivera, who has worked at the Plaza Hotel for 21 years, presides over the Oak Room Bar. During his time there, he has seen cocktails come and go, but the classic ones, such as martinis, Grey Goose martinis, dirty martinis and Bloody Mary, are very popular right now.

Rivera also told us which are the proper garnishes for different cocktails. A Sidecar is garnished with a lemon, while a Cuba Libre is served with a lime. A Bloody Mary is served with a lemon or a lime, but a Gibson must be served with an onion pearl, not an olive.

We couldn't think of a better place to learn (or a better person to learn from) about classic cocktails than at this landmark location. Built in 1907 (originally as a bar for men only), the Oak Room Bar remains an iconic meeting spot for New Yorkers and visitors to the city alike.

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How to Make a Classic Manhattan

by Carrie Coolidge (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Spirits

At the newly renovated Plaza Hotel, which recently underwent a $450 million renovation, Luxist visited the famous Oak Room Bar where Head Bartender Orlando Rivera shared with us some of his secrets, including how to make one of the most classic cocktails---the Manhattan.

Orlando Rivera, who has worked at the Plaza Hotel for 21 years, presides over The Oak Bar. During his time there, he has served classic cocktails to the great and near-great, including princes, presidents, powerbrokers, politicians, Hollywood stars, musicians and professional athletes.

The Manhattan is believed to have been invented at the Manhattan Club in New York City in the 1870's. The cocktail has not diminished in its popularity over the ensuing 140 years and is referred to as the "king of cocktails." We couldn't think of a better place to learn (or a better person to learn from) how to make this classic cocktail than at this landmark location. Built in 1907 as a bar for men only, the Oak Room Bar is now an iconic meeting spot for New Yorkers and visitors to the city alike.

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